Tanks and double-walled tanks and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A tank has a base, corrugated side walls structurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining a tank interior, the corrugated side walls having a trough and a crest; the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest; and a roof plate above the tank interior, the roof plate being structurally mounted to the corrugated side walls opposite the base. An inner tank may be inserted into the tank, the inner tank having a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels that are attached directly to adjacent panels to form a bottom wall and inner side walls of the inner tank.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This relates to a tank and a double-walled tank and a method ofmanufacturing the tanks.

BACKGROUND

Tanks, such as double-walled tanks, are often used to transport or storefluent materials, such as liquids, powders, pellets and the like.Double-walled tanks provide secondary containment against any leaks andalso provide additional structural support to the tank. U.S. Pat. No.7,337,908 (Dedmon) entitled “Container for Bulk Handling of Fluids,” isan example of a double-walled tank that has structural supports on anouter wall.

SUMMARY

There is provided a method of manufacturing a double-walled tank. Anouter shell, the outer shell having a base and corrugated side wallsstructurally mounted to the base, the corrugated side walls and the basedefining an inner tank receptacle accessible through an upper openingthat is vertically opposite the base, the corrugations of the corrugatedside walls have a trough and a crest, the trough being spaced within theinner tank receptacle relative to the crest. A plurality of rigid orsemi-rigid panels attached together to form an inner tank having abottom wall and inner side walls. An inner tank inserted into the innertank receptacle such that the bottom wall rests on the base of the outershell and the side walls engage the troughs of the corrugations, theinner tank being formed separately and distinctly from the outer shellprior to being inserted into the receptacle.

In another aspect, a roof plate may be installed above the inner tank.

In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the inner tank andextend past the outer perimeter of the corrugated side walls.

In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the corrugated sidewalls after the inner tank is inserted into the outer tank.

In another aspect, the roof plate may comprise elongated structuralreinforcement members.

In another aspect, the outer shell may comprise an outer wall.

In another aspect, the base of the outer shell may be a skid.

In another aspect, the inner tank may be formed without structuralreinforcement members.

In another aspect, the rigid or semi-rigid panels may be sufficientlyrigid to withstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated sidewalls.

In another aspect, the inner tank may be supported with a supportstructure prior to inserting the inner tank into the inner tankreceptacle of the outer tank.

There is provided a double walled tank with an inner tank having aplurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels that are attached directly toadjacent panels to form a bottom wall and inner side walls of the innertank. An outer shell having a base and corrugated side wallsstructurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls andthe base defining an inner tank receptacle accessible through an upperopening that is vertically opposite the base, the corrugations of thecorrugated side walls have a trough and a crest, the trough being spacedwithin the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest, the inner tankbeing positioned within the inner tank receptacle such that the innertank engages the troughs of the corrugated side walls and such that thebottom wall rests on the base of the outer shell, the inner tank beingformed separately and distinctly from the outer shell and the outershell being formed separately and distinctly from the inner tank.

In another aspect, the double walled tank may further comprise a roofplate above the inner tank.

In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the inner tank andextend past the outer perimeter of the corrugated sidewalls.

In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the corrugated sidewalls.

In another aspect, the roof plate may comprise elongated structuralreinforcement members.

In another aspect, the outer shell may comprise an outer wall.

In another aspect, the base of the outer shell may be a skid.

In another aspect, the inner tank may be formed without structuralreinforcement members.

In another aspect, the rigid or semi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigidto withstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated sidewalls.

There is provided a corrugated tank with a base, corrugated side wallsstructurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls andthe base defining a tank interior, the corrugated side walls having atrough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tankreceptacle relative to the crest and a roof plate above the tankinterior, the roof plate structurally mounted to the corrugated sidewalls opposite the base.

In another aspect, the roof plate may comprise have structuralreinforcement members.

In another aspect, the base may be a skid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the followingdescription in which reference is made to the appended drawings, thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intendedto be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a double walled tank.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an outer shell of a double walled tank.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an outer shell of a double walledtank.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an inner tank of a double walled tank.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of an inner tank of a double walledtank.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an outer shell of a double walled tank.

FIG. 7 is a top cross sectional view of an inner tank inside an outertank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A double-walled tank generally identified by reference numeral 10, willnow be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7.

Structure and Relationship of Parts

The tank described herein may have two tanks, an outer shell 12 and aninner tank 26, to be used in combination. However, depending on theneeds of the use, outer shell 12 may also serve as a tank without theneed for inner tank 26. The embodiment described below is that of thetwo tank system providing a double walled tank 10. It will beunderstood, however, that the outer shell 12 may be constructed usingthe principles described below and used as a tank without inserting aninner tank 26.

Referring FIG. 1, double walled tank 10 has an outer shell 12. Referringto FIG. 6, outer shell 12 has a base 14, corrugated side walls 16, andan upper opening 18. In the preferred embodiment, referring to FIG. 3,base 14 is a bottom wall 15 that may be reinforced by support members 17and mounted to a skid 19. Support members 17 and/or base 14 may beformed as part of skid 19. Skid 19 provides support and makes doublewalled tank 10 easier to transport. It will be understood that there arevarious designs that may be used to create a base 14 that aresufficiently strong to support tank 10 and its contents. Together, base14, corrugated side walls 16, and upper opening 18 define a tank, or aswill be described below, an inner tank receptacle 20 that is used toreceive an inner tank 26. If outer shell 12 is used as a tank, roofplate 32, which will be described below, is attached, such as bywelding, to the top of outer shell 12 to form a tank. The walls of outershell 12 are supported by the corrugated walls, such that additionalsupport, such as welding stiffener bars, is not required. It will beunderstood that side walls 16 must be attached in such a way that thetank is able to support whatever is to be stored inside outer shell 12,such as a liquid, in which case outer shell 12 must be water tight andstrong enough to withstand the fluid pressure.

Referring to FIG. 2, corrugated side walls have troughs 22 and crests24, with troughs 22 extending into the middle of inner tank receptacle20 relative to crests 24. Referring to FIG. 7, an inner tank 26 is to beplaced within inner tank receptacle 20 of outer shell 12 though upperopening 18. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, inner tank 26 has a bottom wall28 and inner side walls 30. Bottom wall 28 and inner side walls 30 arecomposed of rigid or semi-rigid panels. In the preferred embodiment, therigid or semi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigid to withstandconforming to the corrugations of the corrugated side walls. In certainembodiments, outer shell 12 may have an outer wall 31. In someembodiments, a roof plate 32 may be installed above or directly atopinner tank 26. While FIG. 5 shows roof plate 32 attached to inner tank26, it may also be attached or mounted to outer shell 12. Referring toFIG. 1, roof plate 32 may extend past or at least level with the outerperimeter of corrugated side walls 16 and have elongated structuralreinforcement members 34.

Referring to FIG. 1, in the depicted example, tank 10 has a series ofvents 36 and manways 38 formed in roof plate 32. There may also belifting lugs 40 provided for moving tank 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, corrugated side walls 16 are structurally mountedto base 14 to form outer shell 12 and define inner tank receptacle 20.Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, inner tank 26 is formed by attachingtogether a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels such that inner tank26 has a bottom wall 28, inner side walls 30, and roof plate 32. In thepreferred embodiment, inner tank 26 is formed without structuralreinforcement members on side walls 30. Prior to inserting inner tank 26into inner tank receptacle 20 of outer shell 12, inner tank 16 may besupported by a support structure (not shown). This is to ensure innertank 16 is properly supported until it is installed within receptacle20, at which point outer shell 12 will structurally support inner tank16. Referring to FIG. 1, when inner tank 26 is inserted into inner tankreceptacle 20, bottom wall 28 will be on base 14 of outer shell 12 andside walls 16 will be engaged and supported by troughs 22 of corrugatedside wall 16. The corrugated shape of side walls 16 provide thenecessary structural strength to inner side walls 30 without having toweld, bolt, or otherwise attach inner side walls 30 to outer corrugatedsidewalls 16. Corrugated side walls 16 are supported on the bottom bytheir connection to base 14 and at the top by their connection to roofplate 32.

Referring to FIG. 5, inner tank 26 is created in a series of steps. Inthe preferred embodiment, bottom wall 28 is constructed first. In thispreferred embodiment, bottom wall 28 is made to be perfectly flat Innerside walls 30 are then attached to bottom wall 28 to form inner tank 26.In some embodiments, there is a roof plate 32 which extends past theperimeter of inner side walls 30. Roof plate 32 is reinforced, whileside walls 30 are not. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, outer tank 12 isformed by providing bottom wall 15, preferably with reinforcing supportmembers 17 attached below. Next, corrugated side walls 16 are attachedto bottom wall 15. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, inner tank 26 may then beplaced in outer shell 12, such that bottom wall 28 of inner tank 26rests on bottom wall 15 of outer shell 12, and the roof plate 32 coversthe outer shell 12, extending past the outer perimeter of corrugatedside walls 16. Preferably, roof plate 32 is then attached to the outershell 12 at the tops of corrugated side walls 16. This may be done usingwelding, or any other suitable technique known in the art. This allowsfor the outer shell 12 to be joined with the inner tank 26.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in itsnon-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included,but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to anelement by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibilitythat more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearlyrequires that there be one and only one of the elements.

The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferredembodiments set forth in the examples above and in the drawings, butshould be given the broadest interpretation consistent with thedescription as a whole.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a double-walled tank,comprising the steps of: providing an outer shell, the outer shellhaving a base and corrugated side walls structurally mounted to thebase, the corrugated side walls and the base defining an inner tankreceptacle accessible through an upper opening that is verticallyopposite the base, the corrugations of the corrugated side walls have atrough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tankreceptacle relative to the crest; attaching together a plurality ofrigid or semi-rigid panels to form an inner tank having a bottom walland inner side walls; and inserting the inner tank into the inner tankreceptacle such that the bottom wall rests on the base of the outershell and the side walls engage the troughs of the corrugations, theinner tank being formed separately and distinctly from the outer shellprior to being inserted into the receptacle.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising the step of installing a roof plate above the innertank.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the roof plate is attached tothe inner tank and extends past the outer perimeter of the corrugatedside walls.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the roof plate is attachedto the corrugated side walls after the inner tank is inserted into theouter tank.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the roof plate compriseselongated structural reinforcement members.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the outer shell comprises an outer wall.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the base of the outer shell comprises a skid.
 8. The methodof claim 1, wherein the inner tank is formed without structuralreinforcement members.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the rigid orsemi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigid to withstand conforming to thecorrugations of the corrugated side walls.
 10. The method of claim 1,further comprising the step of supporting the inner tank with a supportstructure prior to inserting the inner tank into the inner tankreceptacle of the outer shell.
 11. A double-walled tank, comprising: aninner tank comprising a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels that areattached directly to adjacent panels to form a bottom wall and innerside walls of the inner tank; and an outer shell having a base andcorrugated side walls structurally mounted directly to the base, thecorrugated side walls and the base defining an inner tank receptacleaccessible through an upper opening that is vertically opposite thebase, the corrugations of the corrugated side walls have a trough and acrest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relativeto the crest, the inner tank being positioned within the inner tankreceptacle such that the inner tank engages the troughs of thecorrugated side walls and such that the bottom wall rests on the base ofthe outer shell, the inner tank being formed separately and distinctlyfrom the outer shell and the outer shell being formed separately anddistinctly from the inner tank.
 12. The double-walled tank of claim 11,further comprising a roof plate above the inner tank.
 13. Thedouble-walled tank of claim 12, wherein the roof plate is attached tothe inner tank and extends past the outer perimeter of the corrugatedside walls.
 14. The double-walled tank of claim 13, wherein the roofplate is attached to the corrugated side walls.
 15. The double-walledtank of claim 12, wherein the roof plate comprises elongated structuralreinforcement members.
 16. The double-walled tank of claim 11, whereinthe outer shell comprises an outer wall.
 17. The double-walled tank ofclaim 11, wherein the base of the outer shell is a skid.
 18. Thedouble-walled tank of claim 11, wherein the inner tank is formed withoutstructural reinforcement members.
 19. The double-walled tank of claim11, wherein the rigid or semi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigid towithstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated side walls.20. A tank, comprising: a base; corrugated side walls structurallymounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls and the basedefining a tank interior, the corrugated side walls having a trough anda crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptaclerelative to the crest; and a roof plate above the tank interior, theroof plate being structurally mounted to the corrugated side wallsopposite the base.
 21. The tank of claim 20, wherein the roof platecomprises elongated structural reinforcement members.
 22. The tank ofclaim 20, wherein the base comprises a skid.